Jerry Visits Scanuppia - Malga Palazzo

We've written in the past about the terrible Scanuppia - Malga Palazzo climb (links to these reports at the end). We now have a report from Jerry from his visit this past summer while he was touring the Alps, the following in an excerpt from his compete tour report which you can read here.

Scanuppia - Malga Palazzo

"A wonderful morning again this day and no rain at all this day. I tried to get away reasonably early, but guess this is still around 9 am for me. I had decided to take the easy road over Vigolo Vattaro (725m) (a pass) and then go down south in the huge valley between Verona and Bolzano. Early on up to Vigolo Vattaro I got company with a local cyclist so I got warm and even went away from him before the top. Then I headed down toward Trento, but took off on a small road down to south of Mattarello (195m) (the first photo is from the narrow passage through Mattarello di Sopra).

Now the main road down here is pretty boring and trafficated, but after a while I remembered that I had thoughts about going up in Besenello to the start of the steepest paved road in the world Scanuppia - Malga Palazzo (or at the very least one of the 10 steepest, depending on over how long distance one talks about). I know both that it would be too steep for a road bike and had advised a guy against going here earlier this year and now felt a bit like betraying him, when I myself now wanted to go there. But also that it is not allowed any longer for bicyclists, since it became common knowledge that this was perhaps the hardest climb anywhere (there are some other challengers though) and cyclists came here and caused an additional hazard for the people using it with 4-wheel drive vehicles and for the cyclists themselves.

Yes, let’s get up and have a look at the classic 45% warning sign, I thought, and then go back. I went into the village and soon found the way out in the right direction. The road to the start of the steep road is quite steep itself with up to 16-17% and climbs quickly 100m. Just as I arrived at the sign announcing that cyclists are forbidden to go up here and the 45% sign, a Jeep arrived with two men looking serious and who stopped to tell me the obvious – that the road was forbidden to cyclists and that it would be dangerous and totally unsuitable for my kind of bicycle.

I told them that I knew and that I was just curious to see the start of the road. Then they got a bit happier, but just as they were about to take off, they stopped again to ask me if maybe I wanted to see more of the road and they offered to take me along on the Jeep. Why not, I thought – how could I possibly say no to such an offer. It was not like I would have wanted to try the road with my road bike anyway, because it was quite clear to me already at the start that it would not be worth the trouble and that I would not get many metres up there. They had no straps for fastening my bike on the top of the car, but oddly enough it turned out that it was possible to place it so that it did not get any damage, nor would it move and it actually stayed perfectly on the roof all the way up.

I jumped in and we set off. This was cool! I went up in a Jeep on the Engineer Mountain in Colorado (2007) with an experienced driver on an hilarious road (and bad one), but this road was more hilarious in terms of its steepness! They could make it a profitable tourist attraction without any doubt if they so wanted. They lived up along this road in a little house (with good views) and there were some more houses up here too. I stopped for a coffee at the house and we talked a little. There is actually quite a climb left up to the end of the concrete pavement (it too steep to use asphalt on a road like this), but it felt rather uninteresting in comparison to the steepest section that we were above. I see on the profile for the climb that it is never less steep on average than 13.2% and still it felt like the road was pretty flat around where they lived.

They warned me a thousand times of not trying to cycle down back again (as if I did not understand the problem) and I promised I would be careful and walk most of the way down. We had some photos and I thanked them and said goodbye. Quite nice people! I explained that I intended to get up to Passo Bordala, which we could see from their window, but later I had to realise that I had spent too much time up here to be able to make it over the Bordala pass (but I am not sorry for that). I cycled down to where the steep part starts on the bumpy concrete (deliberately made uneven to make it possible to get up with a car). Then I stopped to take lots and lots of photos on the way down. Now I was really sad I had no more film with me (last photo was the first one on the page here and I only had my old bad iPhone camera here and for two days now).

I did try and cycle part of the steep road down, but had to get off before it was too late (really not recommended to try this!). Here one MUST have disc brakes as ordinary brakes are simply no good. I heard some squeaking sound from my brakes at one time and was worried they would break down (I am not overstating this). I had two cars coming down and one of them (at the top) also stopped to warn me. Actually it is pretty dangerous walking down here in bicycle shoes as I did as the concrete is a bit shiny and could be slippery.

However, 45% is a bit more than you will find. Like some have said, maybe it is 45% in one or two insides of the curves, but otherwise it is merely around 33-35% most of the time. On average I guess it is only close to 25% for 2 km, but again, you have likely never seen anything so steep, so. I remember walking down from Viderjoch between Ischgl in Austria and the Samnaun valley in Switzerland and there it was 42-43% steep ramps, but even them did not come across as much steeper than this. Anyway it is a fascinating road and I am happy that I got to see it!"

Jerry:
Related stories:
The hardest climb in Italy, perhaps Europe
The Sick Thing: Scanuppia + Malga Palazzo from Besenello
The Sick Thing: VIDEO Scanuppia + Malga Palazzo from Besenello, Part II

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The Sick Thing: Scanuppia + Malga Palazzo from Besenello, Part II

In September I reported about the Scanuppia climb. This video gives a better appreciation of this incredibly steep road. Enjoy!:




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The Sick Thing: Scanuppia + Malga Palazzo from Besenello

Ken Roberts writes in about his visit to Scanuppia. Before getting on to his comments see my entry here from 2007.

Ken is an avid climber, seeking out the toughest climbs. Ken's story about Scanuppia:

"Steepest, hardest, long climb I've ever attempted. The steepest hardest long climb on a sealed-surface road in Europe (or the world) -- at least I've not yet heard any serious proposal for any sealed-surface road that comes close. I did not succeeding in climbing it -- gave up before I made it even halfway thru the 24% (or steeper?) section. So I actually don't know what's beyond that. I did measure the sustained 24% section I rode with my GPS with barometric altimeter (with auto-calibration turned off).

Beyond what I rode myself and measured, what I know about its steepness comes mainly from
www.salite.ch/scanuppia.asp - (except that the section I measured there with my GPS showed results actually a bit steeper than the same section on that elevation profile). That elevation profile seems to indicate roughly:

-around 12% for about +120 vertical meters as a "warmup"on the wider asphalt road
-around 24% for about +375 meters in lower section of narrow concrete road.
-around 14% for about +135 meters.
-around 17-19% for about +660 meters
-? perhaps further climbing on dirt-gravel after the concrete surface ends ?

(note that the upper +660 meters just by itself would be one of the hardest climbs in Europe)

Also a few months ago I found this road on Google Earth, and calculated steepness from that, and it roughly agreed with the elevation profile on salite.ch. (There's a sign by the road which says "45%", but I regard that is the usual exaggeration of steepness by road-authorities everywhere I visit.)

Limited use? I don't know anything about laws and road usage customs in Italy, but I saw a sign by start of the narrower concrete road which might have suggested that using the road is not permitted for non-local residents . . .

I saw another sign on the wider asphalt approach road below the start of narrow concrete, which might have indicated that it was private -- I saw some kind processing plant by the start of the narrow concrete section. On the other hand when I was there on my bicycle, some guy at the processing plant came out to help point me the right way when he saw I had missed finding the start of the narrow concrete road. And two cars passed me while I was riding on the narrow concrete road and didn't try to say anything to me. So if you're not sure about how that applies to you, I suggest you check with some authority before you take the time and effort to travel to Besenello.

Finding the correct road is a little tricky. Hope this helps:

bottom of extreme steep: latitude-longitude = 45.94618,11.11815 = N45.94618 E11.11815

Another way: start in the town of Besenello [ see on map ] which is a ways south from the major city of Trento in northeast Italy. Find the street Via Scanuppia (starts narrow brick, later changes to asphalt) and start riding up roughly northeast for about 400 meters until it meets another road. Bear Right to join the other road and climb roughly east. When get near a processing plant, turn Left onto a narrow asphalt road north over a short bridge - (do not keep climbing up that nice wide asphalt road). Just after the bridge the asphalt ends and the narrow road climbs moderately with the first two shrines along the right side. Soon sharp curve right (east) and there's a gate and then you're riding on 24% steep narrow concrete (soon a third shrine on right). I interpreted the round sign next to the gate to mean "No mopeds or electric bikes" - (but I don't know much about laws and road customs in Italy).

Actually a better (but less interesting) "warmup" for the 24% steep section is instead of going thru the town on Via Scanuppia, instead start from the bottom (west end) of that asphalt road which the Via Scanuppia street meets, a road which runs around the north side of the town of Besenello -- but I'm not sure how to describe getting to it, though I captured at the bottom of that road: latitude-longitude = 45.94963,11.10735 = N45.94963 E11.10735

It's even harder . . . What makes it even more difficult is that much of the concrete surface is not "even". Not that it's "rough" (though in a few spots it is that) -- but that it's "wavy", like with very wide "ripples" in its surface. I suspect the this unevenness is intended to provide better traction when there is snow or ice. So using super-low gearing doesn't solve everything, because you have to maintain enough momentum to carry thru the low zone between "waves" (which might also have some erosion on it). Scanuppia is not just about muscular endurance, also balance and reacting to changes.

Could get hurt . . .Stories I've read about people trying to ride up Scanuppia tend to include the number of times they fell off their bike. The main thing that made me give up was that as my legs got more tired I was more afraid I was going to fall. Therefore . . . Practice getting out your feet out of the pedals quickly. Have a plan for who you're going to fall onto a hard concrete surface without getting hurt. (And if you plan to continue, how you're going to get started pedaling again on such a steep slope). Also how to get back down again. Good to practice in advance how to handle very steep slopes without going over the handlebars -- including the possible need to make a sudden stop on descent because of sudden appearance of an animal or uncoming car. And if it rains or snows, getting down could get dangerous."

You can read more of Ken's European exploits at: http://www.roberts-1.com/b/index.html

Photos: by Ken Roberts

Stories, including cycling trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com. See here for a chance to win a T-shirt for submitting a story.

The hardest climb in Italy, perhaps Europe

Adjacent, and just north of the province of Verona, is the province of Trento. Located here is the hardest climb in Italy and perhaps Europe. The Scanuppia Malga Palazzo climb is 8km long, starting from Besenello and ending at a nature preserve.

Most of the ride reports I've read about involve stopping and starting repeatedly to get up; weaving back and forth is close to impossible because of the narrowness of the paved road. One person that did make it up without stopping, and with great difficulty, used a 22 (front) x 28 (rear) gear combination!

I hope to pay a visit this Spring or Summer but like so many others I think I'll be walking a bit.

A great website for researching climbs and their difficulty rating is http://www.salite.ch/